Sweet Little Lies
by Dallirious
Summary: If she was honest, Narcissa had always lied to herself and there comes a time when everyone has to admit the truth. / Narcissa's POV


**Rating:** Mature  
><strong>Characters:** Narcissa Malfoy, Andromeda Tonks, Bellatrix Lestrange, Draco Malfoy  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 780  
><strong>Prompt:<strong> Lies We Tell Ourselves  
><strong>Summary:<strong> If she was honest, Narcissa had always lied to herself and there comes a time when everyone has to admit the truth.  
><strong>AN:** Written for the Harry Potter Last Author Standing community at LiveJournal.

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><p>She consoled herself with thoughts and words, as she's done since she was a small child. It started simply enough. Lies born out of childhood innocence grew to become bricks gradually walling her in. With each brick she would find herself stuck within the world of lies, trapped by her trusting personality. The truly sad part about it all was that she had believed them. She had wanted to love and trust those around her so badly that she believed those malicious thoughts, those deceptive words.<p>

In her heart she believed, as a child, that Andromeda would always be there to protect her. She recalled her five year old self screaming at Sirius that she was 'going to tell Andi' when he'd snatched the last liquorice wand from her hand. A childish squabble between two cousins, but it had been a treat from her Father and she wouldn't have Sirius take it from her. But Andromeda would make it all better. Andromeda would make him give it back or maybe even take her to buy a new one. Looking back on it the notion was rather ridiculous when her sister was only three years older than her, but the point was Andromeda was her big sister. Had she gone to Bellatrix, the eldest Black would have simply taken the last liquorice wand and eaten it herself, without a care for her baby sister. But Andromeda would make her feel better - find her something else to enjoy.

Then Andromeda was gone.

Foolishly she told herself Bellatrix was now her protector. There were now only two Black sisters and of course they would stick together. Her only remaining sister would not forget about her, she would not leave her behind. Or so she told herself as she watched Bellatrix descend into the fiery depths of obsession. What did a sisterly bond matter when she could do the bidding of a rising Dark Lord? She lusted after him, pushing aside everything else. Nothing else mattered when he spoke her name. Not even her one and only sister. She was too busy throwing herself at his mercy, marching off in the first war, to instruct her little sister before her wedding. No heart to heart between two siblings before the younger found their life changed forever. She knew Andromeda would have, had she remained, even though the traitor wasn't one for tradition. She was too busy hunting down traitors and mudbloods alike to visit her newborn nephew.

Then Bellatrix was gone.

But she had Draco then, her beautiful Draco. His name, that of a constellation, to make up for the shortcomings of her own in a family full of stars. She loved him and he was all hers. Nothing could take her baby from her. Finally something she could keep for herself, someone who would never leave her. He would love her and make her proud, as any good pureblood boy ought. For a time he would be gone, learning the ways of their family and world at Hogwarts, but he would always return to her. Every Christmas and Summer he would return and be hers once more. She told herself that he would not desert her. He remained unspoiled. Untouched by the horrors that had claimed her sisters, her cousins and her husband. But the efforts of the Pureblood regime made themselves known to an easily swayed boy who was desperate to please his father and restore honour to his family name. He was roped in hard and fast and she watched as he slowly drowned in the unknown depths of murder and mayhem.

Then Draco was...

No...

No, she would fight. There would be no more lies. Who was she even kidding? There had to be another way to stand up for the supremacy of purebloods. There had to be another way to protect magic. A way that didn't involve the deaths of so many innocent bystanders, the deaths of so many children whose parents had promised them it would be alright.

She could hear it, from where she stood on the edge of the forrest. Men and women, Death Eaters and Aurors, roared as they fought. And in the midst of the spells and the anger, there were children screaming. Children who had chosen to fight for their school, for their families, screaming as they realised they were in over their heads. Children falling to their deaths as heartless souls stepped over them and searched for another target. And somewhere in that castle her son would be fighting a lost cause. Because the truth of the matter was Harry Potter had to win.

Or death would follow them, forever more.


End file.
